AUSXIP Erin Cummings
News & Multimedia

The 2011 AUSXIP Charity Auction has ended for another year and I've been crunching the numbers and I have to say it's been an incredible effort by everyone. I'm totally gobsmacked by the numbers.

We live in such hard economic times and I know it's so difficult for many people but you guys have come through yet again. The tentative figures so far for Starship and the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation is:

Alisa Ann Burn Foundation (ROC Outreach): $2,258.50! Again thank you so much to everyone who participated.

That is a grand total of $11,859.50

For those who won, you would have received an email with directions on how to pay. If you haven't (and it's lurking in your spam folder), there is an online FAQ on how to pay. Please go here for directions.

If you want to donate and would like to know how, please go to here and it will give you the details on how to donate!

With your support AUSXIP has raised $49,946 since 2006 for Starship! That just blows my mind. Since 2006 (Starship + other charities) AUSXIP has raised $85,777.00!

That is all YOUR doing. You all contributed to this figure, you have dug deep. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone! You guys are simply amazing.

One of my favourite quotes is from Helen Keller:

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller

This fandom has quite a heart!

On behalf of the AUSXIP Charity Auction team (myself, Christa and Roger), we all want to say how much we appreciate your support.

Actress Erin Cummings researched her role as Dr. Abbey Ward, the medical examiner on the police drama "Detroit 1-8-7," by actually dissecting bodies.

"I wanted to get a little bit of street cred, so I put on a brave face," said Cummings, who is appearing on the "1-8-7" season finale, airing tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC. "I actually did some research by going to the Wayne County Coroner's Office, where I cut open some body parts – that was real intriguing to me."

Fortunately, the experience didn’t make the actress sick.

"It's sort of like going to see a play and there's people on stage who are nude," explained Cummings. "For the first five minutes, you go, 'Oh my god, oh my god, there's naked people in the room!' Then after a minute, you go, 'Oh, there they are,' and it's like no big deal. After you get over the initial shock of 'Oh, wow, there’s dead bodies in here,' it’s really not that big of a deal."

Cummings and Dr. Ward both have a wicked a sense of humor and are into roller derby (Cummings trained with the Los Angeles Derby Dolls).

AUSXIP.com is holding it's annaul Charity Auction to raise money for the Starship Foundation. Starship Hospital provides leading health care to nearly 150,000 children each year from around New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. But in addition to government funding they need your help to raise more than $5 million annually to keep the hospital at the forefront of paediatric care. As a charitable organisation, Starship Foundation exists through the generosity of those who lovingly donate money and/or time to assist in making Starship a world-class medical facility.

Well the 2011 AUSXIP Charity Auction is nearly here and there are lots and lots of goodies that I've now added to the auction site in time for the 21 March start. A complete list will be available in the next day or so so you can see what's coming up!

This year's Starship auction takes on an urgency to generate funds for
Starship because they are dealing with the normal day to day funding needs of the Starship Hospital but also they are helping the kids from Christchurch's earthquake.

For Renee's portion of the auction (the ROC Outreach Fund) the money
this year will go to The Alissa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, a charity
near and dear to Renee's heart. Renee participates in the Burn Relays every year which raises money for the foundation.

Watch the season finale of DETROIT 1-8-7 on the Big Screen at The Magic Stick with actress ERIN CUMMINGS!

6:30pm - Garden Bowl

9:30pm - After Party at the Majestic - Magic Stick (upstairs)

10:00pm - Detroit 1-8-7 Season Finale Viewing

The Majestic is located in Midtown Detroit, 10 blocks north of the Fox Theatre, 5 blocks south of the DIA, between Mack and Warren. Secured and lighted parking is available behind the Majestic Theatre or West Alexandrine Parking Garage (just adjacent of the Majestic).